1849 Grand National
| Grand National | |
| Location | Aintree |
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| Date | 28 February 1849 |
| Winning horse | Peter Simple |
| Starting price | 20/1 |
| Jockey | Tom Cunningham |
| Trainer | Tom Cunningham |
| Owner | Finch Mason, Jr. |
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The 1849 Grand National Steeplechase was the 11th official annual running of a handicap steeplechase horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on Wednesday, 28 February. It attracted a field of twenty-four competitors for a prize valued at £825.
The race was won by Tom Cunningham on Finch Mason's Peter Simple, having also trained the horse himself. Cunningham wore Finch Mason's colours of green silks with salmon sleeves and pink cap. The horse won in a time of 10 minutes 56 seconds, seventeen seconds slower than the course record set two years earlier. For the second consecutive year there were three equine fatalities during the race, taking the number of fatalities in the history of the race to eight and leading to heavy criticism in the press. The owner was not the same Finch Mason who achieved fame painting racing scenes in the latter half of the 19th century.
Prince George was sent off as the 4/1 favourite as the mount of Tom Olliver who was also the most experienced rider in the race, being the only man to have taken part in every official National. The duel winning rider was one of several to benefit from a false start, which was not recalled, the roars of encouragement from nearby spectators drowning out the calls of starter, Lord Sefton to recall the runners The favourite remained prominent until the runners approached the racecourse for the final time where Olliver realised he had nothing left to offer, being nursed home a distant third to finish.
The Curate had been a long time pre race favourite in the betting rooms of Manchester where most pre race wagers were struck, having been beaten by just half a length in the previous year's race. With Tom Olliver's defection to the favourite it was Horatio Powell who took the ride in what proved to be his last of seven rides in the race, including one regarded as unofficial, being sent off at 7/1. Powell was one of those caught out in the false start and, in desperately trying to make back the lost ground, blundered and fell at the second fence, the vet having to be summoned to end the horse's pain when he was found to be badly injured.
The Knight Of Gwynne found popularity on the day of the race from those spectators with military affiliations as the horse was to be ridden by his owner Captain D'Arcy who was one of nine riders making his debut in the race. The Captain himself placed sizable bets on his mount winning, being sent off at 8/1. It is unclear whether the horse managed to get away among those in the false start but at the start of the second circuit he had moved through the field to take position behind the eventual winner. However, his rider found that his horse had little to offer upon turning for home and resorted to shouting ahead to his rival to take a pull, meaning to deliberately slow his horse in order to allow The Knight Of Gwynne to pass and win the race. The Captain's first offer was £1,000 to his rival, though, as his desperation to win increased, so did his offer, to £4,000 before the winner passed the post three lengths clear. With no official governing body in place for the sport at the time D'Arcy had technically broken no rules in offering financial inducements to another rider and the only action that could be taken would have been for Lord Sefton to ban him from competing or entering horses at Aintree again. History does not record if Sefton took this action but D'Arcy never again competed or entered horses at Liverpool.
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